Diary of Dexter: A Beautiful Fall Day

 Diary of Dexter is a series within Past the Grandstand about my retired racehorse, Wet Paint (AKA Dexter). Periodically, the blog will feature updates on the grandson of Storm Cat. You will really grow to love this wonderful horse.

Pebbles
Photo by Mary Cage

The sun shone down on the late October day and my horses ran around the pasture or their pens, enjoying the cooler air. It wasn’t cold, but the breeze kept it much cooler than normal. It was a beautiful fall day.

I took many pictures of my horses on my phone, as I didn’t want to run inside the house and get my camera, risking missing their playtime. My mare Pebbles, who is Dexter’s best friend (Diary of Dexter: Best Friends), rolled immediately before getting up and playing. The horses in the pasture took off, running across the soft dirt friskily. Meanwhile, Dexter just watched them with his ears pricked, prancing every now and then. He didn’t find in necessary to play so much.

I tried taking pictures of him, but he kept hiding behind the fence. Spontaneously, I decided I wanted to go for a ride. I led him up to the barn and groomed him meticulously before tacking him up in an English saddle. After a successful session on the longe line, I climbed aboard Dexter.

At first, I rode him in the round pen. He behaved beautifully, doing everything he was asked and performing like a champion. His trotting was excellent and his canter was even better. I brought him to a stop, leaning forward to rub his neck affectionately.

Dexter
Photo by Mary Cage

I rode him into the pasture and after walking around for a while, we trotted some figure eights. Then it was time to canter. Dexter was delighted to move into the three-beat gait and he cantered around the pasture with me aboard. He ate up the ground with his long legs and I couldn’t help but beam. By the time we were done cantering, I had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Cantering him was like a dream.

In fact, I was so caught up in the moment that I even began to do a race call, pretending to be the race caller and the jockey at the same time.

“And Wet Paint crosses the wire in a tremendous performance!”

I knew it was extremely cheesy, but I was filled with absolute bliss while cantering him. All Dexter wanted to do was please me and have a good time. And that’s exactly what he did.

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